Al-Shabab

Place of Origin: Somalia

Year of Origin: 1996-1997

Al-Shabab is the Al-Qaeda´s affiliate in East Africa and it seeks to establish a caliphate in Somalia and nearby countries. The name Al-Shabab also means “the Youth”. Currently, the group controls territories in Southern Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Since 2012, when it pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab executed violent attacks in Somalia and Kenya. In September, 2013, the group killed 68 people in the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya and in April, 2015, Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack that killed nearly 150 people in Garissa University, Kenya.

Acoording to Counter Extremism Project, the main targets of the group are the Somali government and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

RECRUITMENT

In the early stages, Al-Shabab focused on recruiting in Somalia and Kenya, but lately it started using the internet to spread its ideology and recruit people from the West.

MEDIA STRATEGIES

Al-Shabab is another extremist group that produces videos for recruitment. It has small videos showing operations in Somalia and fighter´s testimonies with English subtitles so as to attract the foreign audience.